Sedimentary rock

Organic-rich sedimentary deposits

Coal, oil shale, and petroleum are not sedimentary rocks per se; they represent accumulations of undecayed organic tissue that can either make up the bulk of the material (e.g., coal), or be disseminated in the pores within mudrocks, sandstones, and carbonates (e.g., oil shale and petroleum). Much of the undecomposed organic matter in sediment and sedimentary rocks is humus, plant matter that accumulates in soil. Other important organic constituents include peat, humic organic matter that collects in bogs and swamps where oxidation and bacterial decay is incomplete, and sapropel, fine-grained organic material—mainly the soft organic tissue of ... (100 of 18,293 words)